MEERUT: BJP leader and former Sardhana MLA Sangeet Singh Som has accused Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav of conspiring to have him killed, a charge that could not be independently verified.
Som, known for making controversial statements, reportedly made the allegation during a recent podcast, claiming that an alleged plan involving a person named Titu Yadav could not be executed.
Attempts by PTI to contact Som for his response were unsuccessful, as his mobile phone was switched off.
Reacting to the allegation, SP MLA and former Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Shahid Manzoor declined to comment directly. He said Som should seek additional security from the government if he apprehended a threat to his life.
“He is a BJP leader, a former MLA and a firebrand leader. His party is in power. If he faces a threat to his life, he should apply to the government. If 26-27 security personnel are not enough, he can take 50-100 personnel. If even Z-plus security is insufficient, he can seek NSG protection,” Manzoor told PTI.
Manzoor also asked Som to check how many security personnel the Akhilesh Yadav government had provided him when he was an MLA.
Suggesting that the allegations could be politically motivated, Manzoor said, “Perhaps someone is saying such things to increase his TRP. It is also possible that he is doing this to secure his ticket. I do not want to comment on it.”
Som has previously accused the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government of filing serious criminal cases against him and other leaders during its tenure.
Before joining the BJP in 2011, Som was associated with the Samajwadi Party and contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from Muzaffarnagar on an SP ticket. He won the Sardhana Assembly seat on a BJP ticket in 2012.
(With inputs from PTI)
